Instructors
Cass Dunn
Caulene Hudson
Rebekah Ortiz
Kate Poling
Cass Dunn
Cass Dunn is an actor and theatre educator who deeply believes in the power that theatre can instill in children. They have taught for children at Miners Alley, Town Hall Arts Center, and The Arvada Center since making the move from Vermont to Denver. Cass has been involved in youth theatre in multiple capacities for over 10 years. They have had the privilege of seeing again and again how inducing children to theater expands their whole world and enhances their understanding that they are an active participant in that world.
Caulene Hudson
Caulene Hudson (she/her) brings over ten years experience working as a teaching artist,
director, and performer. During this time, she worked with the Rose Theater (Omaha, Nebraska), University of Nebraska-Omaha, Kerfuffle: Theatre for the Very Young (Chicago, Illinois), and Highlands Elementary (Erie, Colorado). She has developed curriculum for ages preschool through college, using theatre to teach social-emotional skills, curriculum-based topics, and specialized topics such as physical devising and theatre for social change. Onstage highlights include: Wiggins in Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars (world premiere at the Rose Theater), Witch Puppeteer in The Woodsman (Blue Barn Theatre in Omaha), and Caterpillar/Butterfly in The Caterpillar’s Footprint (Kerfuffle, performed tour in Omaha and Lincoln, NE) Caulene is the Education Director with the Boulder-based theatre company The Catamounts, and is also a preschool teacher at Sunflower Farm in Longmont, Colorado. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Communication and Theatre Arts from Flagler College and a Masters of Arts in Theatre Arts from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Rebekah Ortiz
Rebekah has worked in the Denver Metro musical theatre community for 15 years as an actress, teacher, and director. She has worked with many professional theaters in town including the Denver Center, Arvada Center, BDT Stage, Town Hall Arts Center, Miners Alley, Aurora Fox, Southern Colorado Repertory, and Candlelight Dinner Theatre. For the past eight years, she has adjudicated local high school theatre programs through the Denver Center for Performing Arts Bobby G Awards program. She is represented by the Radical Artist Agency for work for commercials, industrials, film, and print work. She holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she was fortunate to be shaped by several amazing educators. Thank you to all the dedicated families and staff supporting these students in their success.
Kate Poling
Kate Poling is a teaching artist, actor and director in the Denver area. She teaches for organizations across Denver, including The Denver Center for the Performing Arts and The Arvada Center. Kate has been acting, directing and teaching for many years. She holds a BFA in Acting from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is excited for another class through Miners Alley.